A Little Bit of Europe in North America

The Notice of Race is now published for the 2016 Route Halifax Saint-Pierre International Yacht Race which links the east coast of Canada with the French Islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon, located off the coast of Newfoundland.

The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (RNSYS) and the Yacht Club de Saint-Pierre are sponsors of the 8th edition of the biennial race which extends from from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada to Saint-Pierre, France.

This year’s RNSYS Chair, George Chisholm has raced in two previous editions of the biennial event. He is challenging his race committee to grow participation through careful recruitment. “We are planning to offer a reduction in entry fees to participants who can bring new skippers into the race.”

Chisholm, a past commodore of RNSYS, says the 360-nm course is a great experience in ocean racing. “As you make your way to the eastern shore of Nova Scotia to the Cabot Strait, you will start to see different sea birds such as puffins, an indication that you are well on your way to St. Pierre, a little bit of Europe right here in North America.”

The starting gun will be fired in Halifax harbour on Sunday, July 10th at 1300. The record for the race to Saint-Pierre is held by Derek Hatfield’s Open-60 Spirit of Canada, finishing the 2010 race in 29:43:56. Depending on the winds and weather, the race course can take two or three days for smaller vessels. The time limit for this year’s race is 0900 on Thursday, July 14th.

Details: www.routehalifaxsaintpierre.com

Source: Mikela Sani, RNSYS Communications Manager